avoid severe challenges to america's interests and values is to be strong enough to dissuade or deter our enemies from thinking about it. >> sean: ambassador, as always, thank you for being with us. >> thank you. >> sean: that's all the time we have left this evening. let not your heart be troubled. greta is next "on the record." see you tomorrow night. >> greta: tonight president obama, if he isn't nervous, well, he should be, governor romney just left him in the dust. a brand-new pew poll shows romney ahead by four hints, poi. even democrats are given governor romney high ratings. to top it off on "saturday night live," snl skewered president obama. that was last week. now the new polls. >> less than one month to go, and mitt romney is making up

serious ground against the president. bpew research has the governor with an advantage over the president among likely voters. >> romney won. he looked presidential. he had confidence. >> there's no comparison, competent, confident leadership versus really rank, amateur, clicheed liberalism. >> every time they run a truly vicious ad, then you see romney in a debate, he's not the person they ran the ad about. >> nearly 70 million americans saw the real mitt romney, not what they see in 30-second attack ads. >> the debate was a reset of this campaign. >> 80 million people finally got an unfiltered look at mitt romney and liked what they saw. >> this race fundamentally changed wednesday night in ohio. i think it did across the country. >> you saw inspiration, heart, preparedness from mitt romney. and you saw a president that came in unprepared, uninspiring. >> i don't think the president was really mentally prepared to

take on governor romney. >> we'll start with you. how do you think the president did? >> well, i think he did bad. you see, obama was poisoned by the altitude. >> oh, boy, this altitude is starting to get to me. >> what is this? 10 miles above sea level? >> he looked tired, had trouble getting his answers out. looked like he took my million and spent it all on weed. >> these liberals in hollywood got what they thought, and everybody on his team is discombobulated. >> mitt romney energized not just his supporters, republicans and conservatives across the country, but even his own campaign. >> well, i think he's been consistent personally. i mean, i think he's been consistent. i think he's been solid. i think he's been very smart. >> unfortunately this president's policies have not been equal to our best examples of world leadership, and nowhere is this more evident than in the middle east. >> you listen to this romney

speech on foreign policy, it is such a refreshing thing. finally somebody who talks about america's role in the world in a positive way. >> greta: and now governor romney out in front after pounding president obama in the debate. governor romney taking the lead in the polls in the latest pew polls governor romney leading president obama 49% to 45%. now last month he trailed by eight points. so can governor romney keep the momentum going or is he just on a political roller coaster? former senator fred thompson joins us. good evening, sir. >> good evening. >> greta: the republicans are dancing right now, but i wouldn't measure the drapes yet. >> no, no. still got a lot of campaign to go. but i think that for the first time people got a chance to see mitt romney and a little closer look at barack obama. you know, he hasn't been in that setting in a long time. i wasn't really surprised either case. nobody's ever accused romney of -- i mean obama of being a great debater. his only eloquence is off the

teleprompter, in which he's very good at delivering a set piece, but not in that format. romney, on the other hand, has gotten better and better over several years, and down in florida is a good example of what he did, you know. he's been called everything and faced with every kind of issue imaginable. you know, he's a good debater. so he was on top of his game, and obama just, you know, kind of phoned it in, thought that was all that was necessary. >> calling it winning or losing, making it into a scoring event, and it truly is not. i'm curious, is it that governor romney did such a good job or that president obama was so off his game and lost? or is it substance? >> well, i've always thought that romney was somewhat in a position that ronald reagan was back in 1980, that people were looking for a change. carter had faced all of these difficulties, you know, the

iranian hostage, double-digit misery index, in many respects worse situation than obama faces politically, but yet they were neck and neck going in. the people were looking for a reason to change. it was this irresponsible cowboy that the media had painted, really did he really qualify as a serious presidential candidate, and people saw him and decided that he did. i think to a certain extent that dynamic is playing out here. >> greta: one of the things that i thought hurt governor romney in these polls -- i mean, the polls were actually spectacular for governor romney in every way, except for a couple that caught my attention. one of them was that by 69 points to 7, a huge amount, swing voters say that president obama is the candidate who connects with ordinary americans. wing voters also prefer president obama on healthcare, medicare and foreign policy. not by those huge margins, but

that whole bit about connecting with ordinary americans. >> beats me, greta. must be ordinary americans who have jobs. >> greta: maybe that is it. >> i don't know what that means. the other question is, what do you want in a president? do you want a president who will lead us boldly into this century and protect us and put in policies that will bring about prosperity and protect freedom and the constitution or do you want a president who feels my needs, you know, whatever they may be, more? i don't know. i guess we'll see. >> greta: is the fact that there's early voting going on, do you see that as an advantage now to governor romney, at least this week, because he's riding high this week? >> well, yeah. but i think it's probably an overall advantage for the democrats. the power of the incumbency, the money of the incumbency. obama apparently raised

$180 million last month. now, i'm sure all these campaign reform liberals are going to be up in arms about that, right? >> greta: i'm up in arms about the fact that both parties will raise about a billion dollars, and taxpayers still have to foot the bill, a large bill at their conventions. they could have paid for those themselves. >> as usual, you're right. >> greta: you can come back. >> all of that, they're pouring in to a handful of swing states. and, you know, they've got their organization, they're buying the organization as they go along. of course, you know, they have self-motivated people, but not as many -- not nearly as many as last time, so they have to purchase more support they have in the past, getting the vote out, that sort of thing. and they can start on day one of early voting, get the buses cranked up, those people together, and their voters out. you know, that's just the on-the-ground political game.

that works to the democrats' benefit overall. >> greta: what do you make of the fact that president obama made $180 million last month for his campaign, out campaigning now, up and down the state of california, thi. if you had a bad appearance last week, the numbers were falling, you don't seem to need the money, why are you, like, campaigning instead of fundraising? >> well, if the media would allow me to get away with it, i'd keep pouring it on just like he's doing. i mean, when he can go out to las vegas the day after this tragedy -- or people were murdered because our government didn't protect them in libya, if he can spend all that time on the golf course, if he can get his national security briefings, you know, off and on, you know, usually in written form, you know, when you can't have any good give-and-take with the intelligence officer, if you can do all of that and get away with it, why not?

all they've got is -- all they've got is the power of the incumbency and the money. they're doubling down on all of it. now they've got a new tactic, after calling romney a liar for four months, they've got a new tactic. call him a really, really bad liar. it takes a lot of money to put out those false ads. that's the name of the game. they're getting away with it. but, you know, fortunately in a democracy the media doesn't have the final word. >> greta: we'll show a videotape later on with david axelrod where he may have gotten caught with calling him a liar. he may be squirming a little. >> if that was romney, i'd look across the table, all your people are calling me a liar, are you calling me a liar? >> greta: maybe he will. thank you, sir. today governor romney turning his campaign spotlight to foreign policy. he blasted president obama, accusing the president of failing to do his job as commander in chief. >> when we look at the middle

east today, with iran closer than ever to nuclear weapons capability, with the conflict in syria threatening to destabilize the region, and with violent extremists on the march, with an american ambassador and three others dead, likely at the hands of al-qaeda affiliates, it's clear that the risk of conflict in the region is higher now than when the president took office. i know the president hopes for a safer, freer and more prosperous middle east allied with us. i share this hope. but hope is not a strategy. >> greta: former state department official liz cheney joins us. good evening, liz. >> hi, greta. good to be with you. >> greta: what do you think governor romney was seeking to achieve today, andde? >> a couple of things. first off, point out the very fundamental differences between his approach to leadership and national security and president obama's. if you look at just the issue of american leadership, which was the common thread throughout the entire speech, talking about how important it's been in the past, how important it's going to be

in the future, what it means to lead as an american commander in chief, and contrasting that with what we've seen from this president, a real timidity, weakness, policy of retreat around the world, and a policy as you just showed that's left us weaker after nearly four years of president obama. >> greta: what do you think is the harshest thing he said about president obama's foreign policy? >> well, i think, you know, hope is not a strategy is -- i'm not sure i would say it's harsh. i think it's sad. i think it's too bad we've gotten to that point. i thought one of the most interesting lines in the speech, he said it's not just the character of our country -- talking about what makes us exceptional -- but it's the record of our accomplishments. he then went on to say that's a record that's been written by patriots of both parties, that it's not a partisan issue, but if you compare that to what president obama said, for example, back in the spring of 2009, when daniel ortega just attacked the united states while president obama was sitting in

his presence, slandered us, and the president stood up and said i'm happy that ortega didn't blame me for things when i was three months old. this view of america as having been the single most effective force in history, why we have to continue to lead, compared and contrasted with the obama vision, which we're seeing the results now across the middle east. >> greta: he spent a good time talking about israel, saying that there would be no daylight between the united states and israel if he were president. you know, it seems to me that whole sort of israel dynamic. i pulled up the transcript going back to last november in which then president sarkozy was quoted as saying, got caught on a hot mike, netanyahu, i can't stand him, he's a liar. then president obama says, you're sick of him? i have to work with heife with y day. then he didn't see him when he spoke to the general assembly at the united nations.

then today making a lot of emphasis on our relationship with israel. i thought that was designed to make sure he gets the vote here. >> it's a critical part of our national security policy. there's a reason why israel is one of our most important allies in the world. there's a reason why we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with israel. we share a whole range of common values and beliefs. we have to make sure that we're standing with them and that they're not alone as they, you know, face threats from countries like iran, for example. so i think governor romney was making clear both here, you know, in terms of the domestic audience, and also internationally with respect to the iranians, there's no question we won't allow them to develop nuclear capability and we'll stand by israel to act together. >> greta: he accused president obama about making a political decision about afghanistan, where we've lost over 2,000 troops there, many have come home and died from injuries.

i thought that was where he was really the harshest on the president, saying essentially your plan is a political plan. >> the facts bear out what governor romney said. when president obama ordered the surge his commanders on the ground, first of all, asked for more troops, but then they said we need two full fighting seasons. we need to make sure we've completely dismantled the taliban, they can't come. that requires two full fighting seasons. the president came back and said, i won't give you as many troops as you need, but i'll stop the surge, pull the troops out before the second fighting season is done. there's simply no military reason why you would do that, if you're going to surge our forces, prevent afghanistan from becoming a safe haven again, then you let the troops fight the amount of time the commanders said they need to fight. >> greta: as much as we have these political knockdown drag-out fights in this country, accusing the president of the united states of making a political decision is farther than i've seen anyone else go.

i mean, do you believe it? do you think that president obama's strategy was purely for himself, purely selfish, purely political? >> absolutely. when you don't allow them to fighting through the second full fighting season. the commanders say that, and you say i'm bringing out them in september of an election year. september of an election year with no military purpose whatsoever for making that decision, i think that what's happening, you know, whether or not the president's motives were political -- i happen to think they were -- what's clearly happening is we run the risk, as the governor said today, leaving behind a afghanistan where the terrorists can once again gain the foothold they used to attack us on 9/11. >> greta: i think we get rolled all the time when it comes to money by the government, but when it comes to war i'm still a believer that people may have different opinions on how to wage them, what to do, but that it's not done selfishly, but maybe i'm incredibly naive.

>> i think you're incredibly naive. i think it was political. >> greta: could be. liz, thank you. straight ahead, what does the obama administration hiding? mounting evidence they knew libya was a terror attack right away. so what's with all these cover stories? something really is not right. congressman jason chaffetz here is next. and an illinois woman firing back at the obama campaign. he's here to tell you all about it.

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>> greta: why didn't the obama administration just tell us the truth? they knew within 24 hours that the libya attack and four murders of americans, including our ambassador, was tied to terrorists. not to a youtube video. that was the cover story. well, congress is now investigating, and republican congressman jason chaffetz just got back from libya and joins us. nice to see you. >> thanks, greta. >> greta: your thoughts about being in libya? >> i left with the impression that politics was driving the security decisions rather than security dictating what security should be. they wanted a narrative that they were moving toward normalization, the appearance of normalization as swiftly as possible, but that unfortunately

i think led to the idea that we didn't have the security to protect our assets in libya. >> greta: there's another part of it, part of your investigation coming in your hearing this week, and this is in a bill gertz article, quoted an unnamed official, that the obama administration is afraid to admit that al-qaeda is running rampant throughout the region because it would expose the truth instead of what president obama so pompously spouted during the democratic convention, said the official, is the quote from the article. i thought this -- is there any possible truth to this? >> i wouldn't disagree with that at all. i mean, i left with the impression that they were driven to try to create this appearance of normalization. you got to remember -- >> greta: what are they hiding, though? >> the idea that there are bad guys out there that want to kill us, and we didn't let security

dictate security. banghazi, you go to tripoli, about two hours to the east is banghazi. twice in the six-month leadup to this attack and deaths of the four americans, twice the british ambassador had an assassination attempt and twice our facility in banghazi was mommed. no other place on the planet had that happen. >> greta: it can be gross incompetence which has cost the life of four people, meaning there were a lot of warning signs and they ignored it, or it could be that they have -- they were trying to cover up a failed middle east policy with terrorism growing, and that there's some defeatful and -- deceitful and some other reason. >> i met with a host of people. never once, not one time, did a single person actually mention a video, a riot, or something like that. that's the administration has been telling the american people and the world that this was a

result of a video gone awry. never once did anybody on the ground ever mention that was a factor. >> greta: you've got susan rice, the ambassador to the united nations, jay carney, white house press secretary, former member of the media, also repeating that false story. the administration did everything it could to connect the video. there's got to be a reason, if they knew within 24 hours that this was terrorism, probably related to al-qaeda, were they pushing this ridiculous video story to the american people and honing it would stick? >> the american people are going have to come to their own conclusion. i can tell you that the security personnel on the ground were asking for more personnel to protect them. not only did they not get that, they got a reduction in the american personnel. >> greta: that they did a lousy job. >> yeah, right. >> greta: we've got four dead people. i'll concede that, either through incompetence or horrible luck. they did a louseey job. the thing can't get off, this

business about the videotape, why if they knew it was terrorism, why did they keep pushing the videotape for days? there had to be a reason because it's so patently ridiculous. >> the idea that this is a video gone awry is somewhere between patently false and an outright lie. >> greta: but why? >> i don't know, because i don't think it fit their narrative. i don't think it fit their narrative that everything was fine, if we just be good neighbors, if we're just nice to everybody, they'll like us. look, al-qaeda is still very active in the region. as you said, we have to deal with that reality. like i said, the security personnel wanted more personnel, wanted more fortification of the buildings. that was denied. >> greta: if you read the bill gertz thesis, it's it was done to hide the fact that the moose policy has failed, that al-qaeda is growing, it's now up against an election, and the whole thing was hoping to put a lid on. that's what i agreed from the

article. >> i wouldn't disagree. they asked for more personnel, asked for fortification of the buildings. denied. in fact, there was a reduction in personnel. we had two bombings preceding the one on 9/11. we had two attacks on the ambassador from britain. and still we walk into 9/11 thinking that there was no actionable intelligence. are you kidding me? >> greta: that's a whole other story, is the quality of our intelligence gathering. that's another night. anyway, thank you. >> thanks, greta. >> greta: coming up, an illinois woman is outraged, saying she's being used by the obama campaign and they never asked her permission. it all started when they asked congressman paul ryan a question. that's next. and fox's bill o'reilly versus comedy central's jon stewart. you have to see it to believe it. and you will straight ahead. ♪

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>> greta: an illinois woman is fighting back. linda morrison says the president obama campaign has done her wrong. she says the campaign twisted her words and then used them unfairly against congressman paul ryan. now all this started at a romney/ryan campaign rally when morrison asked the vice-presidential candidate a question. >> okay, she's got a green bay packers shirt. i have to pick on her. i apologize. >> hi. my question is, you know, keep

talking about china and jobs and then we talk about the unemployment, but where are the answers in i mean, why aren't you more specific? i heard you -- was it sunday when you were on fox, and you didn't answer his question about how we're going to -- you know, what are your plans. >> oh, yeah. no, look, when you get into math conversation, it can take a little while. let me give you specific answers right now. >> greta: soon after that rally, an obama campaign spokesperson emailed reporters writing this, congressman ryan can't attend his own campaign rallies without being called out for failing to provide specifics about what mitt romney would do if elected. linda morrison joins us. nice to talk to you, linda. >> nice to talk to you, greta. thanks for having me on. >> greta: i'm curious, did you get a specific answer from congressman paul ryan? >> i did.

all you have to do, if you went online and listened, he told me specifically he had five points that he made, and he really elaborated on the points. he didn't just say like number one, number two, it took him about eight minutes to answer me, and i was really pleased with his answer, because i thought to myself if there's any spin, i am going to stop him and say, just answer the question. he didn't. everybody afterwards, you could tell by the reaction of the crowd, everybody liked his answers. afterwards i had about four people come up to and say, "what a great question." >> greta: then there came a point when a member of the obama campaign sent out an email to everybody. how did you hear about that? >> i came to work, had been out of the office for a little bit, and my boss had come in, he met me outside kind of laughing, and he said i was in the "quad city times," and he said, you called

out ryan? i said, what are you talking about? he says, it's here in the paper, the question you asked, you called out ryan. out there in the parking lot, we had a meeting. there was, like, four of us standing around outside. the more i thought about the more angrier i caught. i know what i asked. there was no way i was calling him out. all i did was ask a question so many people wanted to hear and we got a great answer. >> greta: have you heard from president obama's campaign, saying we're sorry we did that, we didn't tell the complete story, we'll send out an email correcting it to the same number of people we sent the first email out to? >> i've not heard one word from the obama campaign, no. >> greta: why do you think the obama campaign did that, that they were careless, in their rush to get it out, or do you think they were deliberately trying to make congressman paul ryan back? >> i would agree with the second

statement, that they were trying to make him look bad. i've never attended a rally. you know, i asked the question -- i think they thought that they were going to -- you know, maybe thought small town, small community, nobody was pick up on us doing this spin. i really thought that they thought that they could pull one over on the american people, but i was paying attention. i wasn't going to let them get away with it. i'm tired of all the spin. i decided to call them -- i decided to call the obama campaign out. >> greta: and indeed you have. one last question, because i'm from the state of wisconsin. why where you wearing a packer jacket? >> my dad was from wisconsin, and my mom was from chicago. so i've always had, you know, split parents, and i had the green bay packer jacket. i'm, like, if i'm going to a rally, i thought maybe he would give me a thumbs-up, which he did. i had no idea he was going to even have any -- you know, we were going to be able to ask any

questions. i thought, you know, maybe he'll wave at me. like i said, it was my first rally, i was pretty excited. he did more. he asked the question. what a great experience, i thought. >> greta: indeed that, now everyone knows your whole story. linda, thank you very much. >> hey, thanks for having me. >> greta: coming up, was the obama campaign's david axelrod squirming in was his answer awkward or hypocritical? you'll hear it. and crie christ christy and boby jindal are teaming up. you'll find out what they're two minutes away.

>> greta: chris christie and bobby jindal, both republican governors, tapped to take on new roles. they're not running for the white house, not yet, but they'll take the reins of the republicans governors association. governor jindal will lead the committee in 2013 and governor christie. why is it a big deal to lead the national group? it's a way to prepare for national fundraising, in preparation for future campaigns. governors christie are considered likely white house candidates in the future. what do you think? go to gretawire.com and tell us. rdwe're back in 90 seconds. your ford dealer. who's offering a rebate? your ford dealer. who has the low price tire guarantee... affording peace of mind to anyone who might be in the market for a new set of res? your ford dealer. i'm beginning to sense a pattern.

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copies of my acceptance speech. great! it's always good to have a backup plan, in case i get hit by a meteor. wow, your hair looks great. didn't realize they did photoshop here. hey, good call on those mugs. can't let 'em see what you're drinking. you know, i'm glad we're both running a nice, clean race. no need to get nasty. here's your "honk if you had an affair with taylor" yard sign. looks good. [ male announcer ] fedex office. now save 50% on banners. >> greta: david axelrod confronted with a question, did he squirm in our political panel

is here in 60 seconds, but first our headlines. >> former penn state former assistant football coach jerry sandusky speaking out, saying in my heart i know i did not do these alleged disgusting acts. his words run by a student-run broadcast station at penn state. the centers for disease control now saying as many as 13,000 people might have received a steroid shot linked to the outbreak of fungal meningitis. the medication most commonly used to treat back pain. so far 105 people have been

infected across nine states. eight have died. the manufacturer pulling its products off the market. now back to greta. >> greta: okay. we need some viewer help on this one. help us understand david axelrod's logic on this one. when his candidate, president obama, breaks two of his 2008 campaign promises, axelrod says that's not a lie. when governor romney in 2012 makes a campaign promise about taxes, the obama campaign calls governor romney a liar. why is one guy's campaign promises now broken? not a lie, the other guy's campaign promises a lie. how can that be? here's david axelrod on cbs's "face the nation." are you saying that governor romney died or was dishonest? >> dishonest, absolutely. when he said he never proposed $5 trillion in tax cuts, that was dishonest. >> when senator obama said in 2008, i'm going to cut the deficit in half, close gitmo, people said that was unrealistic, but didn't say he wasn't telling the truth. there's a difference, isn't there? >> no. closing gitmo involved an act of congress, and he wasn't able to get congress to agree with him

on that question. this is basic math. >> greta: joining us our political panel, abc news senior washington editor rick klein, casey huntington, and byron york. rick, first you. i thought it was executive order to close gitmo, just needed congress to place the people. am i right? >> they realized it was going to be harder than they wanted. the distinction he's making is in terms of campaign pledges versus actions that you can possibly have congress do later. it's a stretch obviously. one man's lie and dishonesty. >> greta: it's name-calling. >> you've seen a shift from the obama campaign in terms of how they're trying to discuss and

describe mitt romney. for a long time they were more interested in trying to describe him as a conservative extremist. they didn't want to go after him as a flip-flopper, even as a dishonest politician. they've started to paint him as someone you can't trust rather than someone whose views are out of step with the mainstream. >> greta: casey? >> you saw beforehand, when both campaigns were managin you want to undermine your opponent, who has just come off an unqualified success. >> a lot of this is intent. i mean, i think barack obama did intend to close down gauntanamo. as a matter of fact, i think congress stopped him by forbidding the use of appropriated funds by moving anyone out of gauntanamo. he actually intended to do it. >> greta: the other one, he was going to cut the ges deficit in half. >> he hasn't shown an inclination to do that. the man behind this $5 trillion story says the obama campaign is misusing his studies. i think romney fully intends to

do what he says he's going to do. he may not succeed, but he intends to do. >> greta: i have an associated press article which basically backs up governor romney, that it wasn't a lie, that the obama campaign is coming at him. you know, i'm curious, though, i guess if i were -- if i were representing a candidate, i would point out, show where the person is bad policy, i wouldn't go out where we've come to now, with the obama campaign, at least this week. >> i think right now they're trying to say, you can't trust what this guy is saying. >> greta: they're saying he's a liar. >> it's part of the same piece. the $5 trillion figure is widely discredited as a price tag for his price cuts.

you can make the argument that the deductions and loopholes they want to eliminate won't get you all of the $5 trillion, but there's snow scenario thi $5 trillion. >> greta: get at it that way. instead they get on national tv and insult their opponent. >> the woos o use of the word "s only used to shore up your base support. >> you saw in the clip, axelrod was pushed to go as far as to call him a liar, and he wouldn't do it. he kept using the word "dishonest." >> greta: other representatives of the campaign have called him a liar. >> still a line he wouldn't cross on the sunday show, which is showing us it could potentially turn off voters in the middle. >> the name-calling is a reason people get turned off in general. it can get ugly out there. people look for the sound bite, the line that will work.

right now this campaign is trying to define mitt romney. >> greta: if there's a lie, have at it. put the facts on the table, let's look at the lies, but i don't like where you just say it. we'll take' break. straight ahead, is the obama campaign turning a blind eye to new donations? a new report says yes, but the obama campaign says absolutely not. which is it? that's next. [ male announcer ] how do you measure happiness? by the armful? by the barrelful? the carful? how about...by the bowlful? campbell's soups give you nutrition, energy, and can help you keep a healthy weight. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. begins with back pain and a choice. take advil, and maybe have to take up to four in a day. or take aleve, which can relieve pain all day with just two pills. good eye.

>> greta: talk about letting the fox out of the chicken coop. it's mostly up to the political campaigns to police their own donations. why is that dangerous? because so many donations are made online and there's not much to prevent foreign or fraudulent contributions. the obama campaign is being accused by a group called government accountability institute. we're back with our political panel. byron? >> this is the kind of thing you learn about after the election when somebody makes a complaint and we find something out about it. the key this, and this happened in 2008, the obama campaign has more small donors than anybody ever in history. a lot of people use credit cards

to make donations on the web, and they're under $200, the minimum amount you have to report the donation to the fec. the angle here is that they're getting -- they're not too careful about where those credit card donations come from. they don't check to make sure they're not in a foreign place. they use a more rigorous routine when you buy a t-shirt using a credit card from the website than yo right, do you agree? >> absolutely. >> greta: so is there anything that the campaign needs to worry about? does the romney campaign need to worry? >> the romney campaign has said over and over they're careful about this. they do some of this too. i've been at fundraisers they had overseas. they had a big one in london when he did the foreign trip. they had one in hong kong on behalf of the campaign that kevin mccarthy went to. they have to make sure that everyone that shows up at the door has a u.s. passport. if you're living overseas, you're an american citizen, you have the right to donate the maximum amount in a presidential campaign. as byron referred to, many of romney's donors are people writing big checks. >> it is a big potential loophole. it's just a potential one at

this point. >> greta: loophole could be -- >> it may be worse than that, depending. we don't know that from this report or anything else. >> greta: no, of course not. >> we do know it's left up to the campaigns to police this. there have been people that make donations on their own as private entities to see if they get caught up, because they provide fraudulent information. not all of them are getting caught. there's a potential for foreign donations, for corporation donations, the potential for coerced donations of some sort. the fact that this doesn't get reported anywhere, that there's no reporting necessary for the small dollar donations allows the possibility of that. now what the intent is there, whether is this amounts to a large problem, those are questions we don't know the answer to. >> greta: all right. any thoughts on the vice presidential debate? >> you know, i think i've said this before, republicans are extremely confident that paul ryan can clean joe biden's clock. they should be cautious about it. >> greta: and the democrats were confident last time around that president obama would do well. i'm always nervous whenever i

compete in anything. casey? >> it's pretty clear at this point that it could potentially have a big impact, especially after last week, which has not always been the case with vice presidential debates. >> we'll know if the paul ryan pick was a good one or not. he'll get his moment, his opportunity. a lot more pressure on joe biden given the performance of -- >> greta: there's more pressure on him. "look what you did last week." i think less pressure. you think more? >> it's tebow time, time for a big performance from joe biden. he needs to step up. >> after mitt romney's huge victory in the first debate, if paul ryan were to win this debate, it's a huge feeling of momentum for them. >> greta: panel, thank you. coming up, president obama and governor romney, move over. another high-profile debate is grabbing the headlines. who is rumbling now? you'll see the fireworks. that's next. with the spark cash card from capital one,

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yourself, bill o'reilly and jon stewart facing off. >> president first year, deficit. he held the deficit steady. how much debt has the president run up? >> $6 trillion. >> very good. $6 trillion. >> yes. and let me ask you this. what is... is that -- is that all bush's fault? >> no. what is the debt bush ran up? >> bush? okay. >> well, well... >> look. >> no. no. >> bush is gone. >> i'm not defending bush. >> bush is gone. this isn't a question of defending bush. >> sure sit. >> it's a question of putting our issues in context. contest isn't a proper. >> you're saying look. my guy ran up $6 trillion in debt. but what did bush do? come on. it's ridiculous.

it doesn't matter what bush did. the job of the president now is to get the debt under control and you've got to -- . >> exactly. >> i can see why obama did badly in the debate. the altitude really is rough up here in come redistribution. do you believe it? >> do you? >> i asked first. >> i believe... >> i believe in social security. do you believe in social security. >> yes. >> so we're both socialists? >> no. no. >> social security isn't redistribution? >> no. it's not. >> you pay into it but you don't pay into it what you get out of it. >> some people pay more. >> in a cumulative affect. >> no. no. no. >> if you're $125,000 you'd pay more than someone paying $50,000. >> tha